Lemon, Coconut & Berry Layer Cake with tangy lemon curd, vanilla cream cheese buttercream and dollops of torched Italian meringue – inspired by Andy Bowdy. Jump to Recipe
A belated birthday cake for my 19th year!
The actual date was last week in the hours prior to a major exam – it didn’t give me much of chance to celebrate. More hectic days of exams, packing up my life from where it had scattered over the little square box of my college room, saying goodbyes for the summer, and heading home to Auckland followed. The first priority (okay, maybe not quite the first..but up there!) was to solidify my status as one of those people that make their own birthday cake. Is it sad? I would argue that I love the process of creating it so much, thinking of possible flavour combinations, colours, decorations – that it is like a gift in itself, an excuse to break out as much butter and sugar as I can handle and construct something really out-there, epically over the top.
I have been following Sydney’s Andy Bowdy on instagram for the past year or so, and love his style of cake decorating – the flavours he dreams up, the dolloped meringue spilling dramatically over the side, and the mounds of colour and texture adorning the top. It was only a matter of time before I tried it for myself, and my birthday was the perfect opportunity.
The three layers of cake have a lemon base, moist and textured with desiccated coconut and folded through with berries. Between each layer is a tangy cream cheese buttercream and swirls of rich lemon curd, while torched Italian meringue as a topping adds another dimension. Fresh berries and spare drips of lemon curd finish it off.
(just be prepared for a whole load of photos…I had great difficulty deciding which I like best!)
It wasn’t without its trials, however – I had few cream cheese buttercream issues along the way. WAY too runny the first time, and I couldn’t get it to thicken, even in the fridge. I attempted in vain to stack the cake together, but the layers slid over each other, buttercream spurted out the sides, and the whole thing threatened to collapse. I did read that extra sugar can just make it even more runny because of the cream cheese forming water with it – can anyone shed some light on that for me? I ended up rushing to the supermarket (literally took me 10 minutes door to door) and making another batch – a different recipe this time, where I used equal parts butter and cream cheese. It ended up much thicker and more stable, so once I scraped the former batch off the cakes and started it again it all held together. If anyone has any cream cheese buttercream tips though, I would love to hear them – I couldn’t figure out whether you should beat it until fluffy after adding the icing sugar, or whether that would just make it runny and you should just stir the sugar in gently. So many conflicting accounts!
Apart from the buttercream struggles, the cake really it isn’t as hard as it might look – I started the cakes around 10am, finished the lemon curd as they baked, made the cream cheese icing before construction, stacked the cakes and chilled them to set the icing for an hour while making the meringue, then put it all together. If you didn’t have the day, you could easily make the cakes and lemon curd the day before (just store the cakes tightly wrapped in gladwrap in an airtight container and the curd in the fridge). And it doesn’t matter if it gets a bit messy – rustic and well-loved is what we are going for here.
The tiredness has finally caught up to me in the last few days – heavy with fatigue, my eyes seem to want to drift shut every time I sit down in the afternoon, and the screen is starting to blur – so I will sign off here. But if you need an over-the-top, impressive layer cake for any occasion (especially if someone isn’t a chocolate fan!), or are just seized with the desire to construct one, here is your answer.
- 300 g butter , softened
- 2 1/2 cups caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
- 7 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups flour (330g)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 5 cups desiccated coconut
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups berries , tossed in a tablespoon of flour (frozen is fine. I used 1 cup raspberries and 1 cup blueberries).
- Finely grated zest of 4 lemons - just the outer yellow part , as anything below this will make it bitter.
- ¾ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 100 g butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 250 g Philadelphia cream cheese , room temprature
- 225 g butter , room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence (or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste)
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup water (60ml)
- 1/4 cup egg whites - about 2 large egg whites , or 60g
- Fresh berries
- Toasted coconut
- Lemon Curd and Buttercream (recipes below)
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Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and sides of 3 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.
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In a large bowl using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer (or an electric hand beater), beat together the butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined. Stir in the vanilla.
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Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix to just combine.
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Fold in the desiccated coconut and buttermilk to just combine, then very gently stir in the berries.
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Divide the mixture between the three tins, and smooth the surface.
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Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when touched and a skewer inserted comes out just clean.
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Leave to cool for half an hour, then remove from tins and place on wire racks to cool completely.
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While the cakes are baking, make the lemon curd.
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Heat the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and butter in a medium pot over low heat until the butter is melted.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until starting to get frothy
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Add the eggs to the lemon mixture, keeping the heat on low. Whisk constantly until the curd starts to thicken - about 5 minutes. You may see little bubbles appear on this surface as this happens. Be very careful here as it can happen quickly.
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Tip the lemon curd into another bowl and set aside to cool. Once cool, if you would like it ultra smooth, strain the curd through a sieve and discard any lumps and the zest
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Using an electric mixer (if a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment), beat the butter until creamy. Add the cream cheese & vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Gradually increase the mixer speed and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
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Gradually add the icing sugar, beating on low speed until combined.
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In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, and then heat on medium-high until the syrup comes to the boil.
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Meanwhile, beat the egg whites to foamy soft peaks in a medium bowl (mixer fitted with whisk attachment or hand beater).
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Once the syrup is boiling, cook until it reaches 116°C (240°F) on a candy/sugar thermometer. remove from the heat, and, while whisking the egg whites continuously, slowly drizzle the syrup into the bowl. Aim for a spot close to the whisk.
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Once all the syrup has been added, continue mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to touch and the meringue is very thick, shiny and sticky.
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Use immediately or keep in the fridge (covered) until ready to use (up to a day)
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If the tops of the cakes have domed at all, cut the domes off with a serrated knife so they are completely flat.
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Place one cake on a large plate or cake stand, sliding strips of baking paper underneath the edges (to catch the icing drips - when you are finished you can remove these without making a mess of the plate or cake stand).
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Cover the cake with just under a third of the cream cheese buttercream in an even layer. Drizzle a few tablespoons of lemon curd on top of this. Top with a second cake.
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Repeat the buttercream and lemon curd coating. Top with the final cake.
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Spread the remaining cream cheese over the top of the cake and around the outside, scraping it over and then off the sides of the cake for a ‘naked’ look.
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Place in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
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Dollop the Italian meringue over the top of the cake in whatever pattern you wish, swirling it around a bit. Using a blow torch, brown the edges.
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Decorate the cake with berries, extra lemon curd and toasted coconut.
Belated Happy Birthday Claudia! That’s such a gorgeous cake! I simply adore the combination of lemon curd and berries and this one has so much more. The perfect celebration cake!
Thank you! That means so much coming from you, your cakes are absolutely stunning! And yes, any form of lemon and berries together seems to be a winner – scones, muffins, cakes, you name it!
What a great recipe! I am such fan of that kind of sweet desserts and especially when they look so good!
Thanks Marcela! x
Oh my this cake is absolutely fantastic! You are a bit of a cake wizard. Nice torched meringue!
Thanks Linda! <3
Oh my goodness, happy birthday, Claudia, and this cake is too beautiful for words! I would give a lot to have a piece of this right now / have you make this for me for my birthday bahahah! The meringue creeping down the side is just fabulous, and I love all of the lemon going on here! Stunning xx
Thanks Hannah!! well if you are ever in Melbourne I feel like we could do some epic cake making haha! <3
Happy Birthday Claudia. Can I just stuff my face in that cake of yours? :p Are you sure you’re 19? You have too much talent for a 19 year old. 🙂
aw you are way too kind, thank you!! <3 <3
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And what a fantastic way to celebrate! I think I could eat lemon curd by the spoonful, so the drizzle for me is like pure gold!
YES lemon curd is so good, I am actually in love with it right now – use it with everything I can! Thanks Kathleen <3
This cake is absolutely beautiful! I could go for a huge slice right now! Happy Birthday!!
Thanks Kelley! I could to, but even though it was only made three days ago my brothers have already polished it off…might just have to make another one haha! <3
What an incredible cake!! So much love went into this 🙂 The torched meringue is a beautiful finishing touch!
Aw thanks June! <3
Wow, Claudia, what a stunning cake! Your styling is so pretty and is so celebratory! Happy Birthday!
Thanks Emily! <3
Wow, Claudia this cake is stunning!! I know you said you had some trouble getting it to this end result, but I would have never known. It looks absolutely spectacular! I love all the different elements you’ve got going on here with the delicious lemon curd and meringue. I also love how you styled the cake with the meringue kind of “dripping” down one side…gorgeous!!
Thanks Beeta!! I did manage to save it, but there was a time in the middle there that I was bit worried… thank you! The meringue drips added another element of texture when eating it too – would definitely recommend! <3
So beautiful and delicious recipe! Love it a lot! I must come to your blog more often
Thanks Lisa <3
Happy belated birthday Claudia and what an epic cake to celebrate with! It looks absolutely gorgeous and I’m sure it tasted just as good. I can see why you struggle to narrow down the photos. I’ve been there with cream cheese frosting – I’ve thrown out a few batches that were too runny. I don’t know which recipes you’ve use or what Australian cream cheese is like, but what I’ve learned along the way is that sometimes American recipes for cream cheese buttercream can result in a runny consistency because American cream cheese is much thicker and more solid that what we have in the UK, so the ratio of butter to cream cheese to icing sugar doesn’t always work as stated. I tend to make my frosting (enough for cupcakes) with 100g butter, 250g cream cheese and 500g icing sugar, beat the butter and cream cheese til smooth, add the icing sugar in 3 lots then beat for 2-3 minutes until it’s smooth and just a little more fluffy than it was to start with. Hope that helps!
Thanks Erika!! I’m glad I am not the only one who has struggled with cream cheese frosting! I’m thinking I might have to make some little cake jars with it to avoid throwing it out. That is a good point – I didn’t think about that fact that the actual cream cheese might be different.. thank you so much for the tips! <3
Oh my goodness, who cares that theres so many photos when they’re all so stunning?!? This cake is GORGEOUS. I’m sort of obsessed with it, and now I want to make my own version inspired by you and Andy Bowdy 🙂 I had never seen his Instagram before but what gorgeous cakes!! Also, about the cream cheese frosting – I’ve always found that the less you beat the cream cheese, the better. I beat the butter for a while and then just beat the cream cheese until the lumps are gone. I also only let it sit out of the fridge for about 20 minutes. By keeping the cream cheese almost cold and not over-beating, it will be MUCH firmer!
And happy belated birthday!!! 🙂
<3
hahahahah thank you Rachel, so good to know you don’t mind the slightly excessive photos! I have been following his instagram for a while and just knew it needed to happen – and so much fun being able to pull out the blow torch!! And thanks for the cream cheese frosting tips – the second time round I did try to beat it much less, just so it was combined and it did seem to help, so will keep that in mind for future! X
OH MY GOODNESS! This looks incredible. I love how you decorated it!! Your photos are drool worthy. Happy 19th Birthday <3 !
Thank you so much Kathryn!! It was so fun to decorate too- just love all the colour and textures going on! So lovely to hear from you <3
Wow, Claudia! This cake is seriously gorgous, and your photos are so beautiful! Happy birthday and bravo! 🙂
Thanks Meghan, that is so lovely to hear! <3
Happy birthday, Claudia! And holy cannoli, what a gorgeous cake! Not to mention that it sounds absolutely delicious – Lemon flavored anything is my favorite – and then you added berries AND coconut? I hardly know what to do with myself 🙂 Checking out Andy Bowdy on IG right now!
Aw thanks Stephanie!! When I decided to use lemon I knew I needed to involve lemon curd somehow – so rich and tangy! <3
Good golly, this is one of the prettiest cakes I have ever seen! You are SO talented! I love Andy Bowdy as well, so inspiring! Can I ask a silly question? Where did you go to fill up your kitchen torch? I got one for my birthday but it came empty and I don’t know where to go! Pinned this beautiful cake!
I actually don’t know, I haven’t had to fill it up yet! Mine came with a little canister of butane gas, so I assume anywhere that you could buy that. It is so much fun to blowtorch meringue with – I really want to try creme brûlées as well. Thanks so much Jessica!! <3
Happy Belated Birthday Beautiful Lady!! And Congratulations on finals. I love Andy Bowdy cakes – I had the great fortune to go to one of his masterclasses and I went full fan girl (so embarrassing) he’s a cake wizard! You meringue is torched so beautifully! I want to dive head first into your master piece. I don’t think there is anything sad about making your own birthday cake – you get full artistic freedom (although in saying that if didn’t make my birthday cake I would never get one 🙁 ) Have a great time back home and say hello to NZ for meeee xx
OMG that must have been amazing – I would have been full on fan-girling too! I didn’t even realise he did masterclasses, will have to watch out for that in future. And yes, if I didn’t make my own birthday cake I do NOT think any of my brothers would take it upon themselves to make it either haha! Thanks so much Ruby! xx
!!!!!! What an intense gorgeous cake!! Happy belated birthday! I want a slice of that!
Thanks so much Jerrelle! x
Um your cake skills are ALL KINDS OF INCREDIBLE!!!! I love the mess of berries on top, it’s an absolutely gorgeous cake Claudia. And happy happy happy belated birthday! I’m all sorts of behind on sending you well wishes, family medicine exam today haha. But still! I’m so glad I found your blog and it’s been so fun following all your beautiful work. <3 <3
Thanks Erica!! And good luck for the rest of your exams, hope they all go really well. I just finished last week for the summer, such a relief! And yes I am so glad I found yours too, all your recipes are just gorgeous xx
WOAH!!!! This is one beautiful cake. It’s absolute perfection Claudia. I love the meringue on the side! Best birthday cake EVER! Happy 19th!!!! I hope you had an amazing day! <3 xxxxxx
Aw thanks so much Harriet!! You are way too kind, made my day! xx
Ohhhhhhh my goodness, I just want to dive face first into that cake! Happy Belated! I love how talented and passionate you are for being so young, if only I was that motivated when I was 19….. oh-boy. haha! The lemon curd, meringue, and favorite fruit galore of a topping looks just incredible and I’m sure tastes even better!
Aw you are so lovely, thank you so much Julia! Wanting to dive face first into it is definitely a successful outcome, I feel the same way looking back at photos! <3
Wauw, amazing! This cake is everything. So beautifully styled, I’m thinking about doing something like this soon.
Thank you! Would love to know how it goes if you try it <3
WOW! Like what a cake! Looks totally spectacular!! Perfect for a special celebration!
YES, would definitely impress all your guests! x
Haaaapy Belated Birthday my dear!! WOWO! What a masterpiece to celebrate your treasured day… Oh my there’s so much going on here. Every component, every layer… the construction, just a work of art. I can imagine how delicious this is and I know I’d savor each and every bite! And I looooved ALL the photographs! So inspiring Claudia! Hope your birthday was memorable and a blast!!
<3 <3 <3 thank you so much Traci!! It was a fantastic birthday - always a little sad that it is over for another year, even just because of not having a massive cake again for a while! Hope you have a lovely weekend xx
How did I miss your birthday Claudia? belated Happy Birthday!! for young and so talented! The cake looks amazing! I would have self-invite to your home to taste the cake:D
Aw thank you so much Shihoko, you are far too lovely! And you are so welcome to invite yourself round sometime, I think I might need to start having cake parties (the new, improved version of a dinner party haha!!) <3
THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE!
you’ve outdone yourself girl!! I’m drooling all over my keyboard.
lemon, coconut, berries and meringue – what more could a gal want?!
Gorgeous x 100000
and of course – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! HOPE YOU HAD THE BEST DAY!!
xxxx
You are the best, seriously Bec!!! Thank you so much, that means a lot <3 <3
and I did have a lovely day - who wouldn't with this cake around haha!!
hope you are having a lovely week!! <3
Hi Claudia – I’m a bit late to commenting on your beautiful cake – it is a gorgeous cake, and I suspect delicious too (the key to a great cake, imho) – however, I’d like to share my secret weapon to fantastic cream cheese frosting: powdered buttermilk. It adds tang to the flavor and stability to the frosting without adding liquid. In the recipe I use, the butter is very soft, and beat/mixed w/ all other ingredients except the cream cheese. Add the cream cheese – which is still chilled – in small pieces while still mixing. The powdered buttermilk quantity is 1/3cup to 8 ou. butter, 3c confectioners sugar and 12 ou. cream cheese. I’ve also used powdered milk w/ success but it doesn’t add the extra tang of buttermilk. Hope you can find the powdered buttermilk – it’s a cream cheese frosting godsend!
Kind regards and happy baking to you and your loyal followers!
Thanks Kimberly! I would never have thought of using powdered buttermilk so thanks for the tip!
xx
Hi! This looks delicious. I’m not a big fan of meringue, though, and I also prefer the look of a fully frosted cake (just a personal preference– this still looks beautiful). I’m wondering if it would be okay if I made double the amount of cream cheese buttercream and then used it to frost the cake. Do you think that would work? Thanks!
Hi Jackie! Yes I think that would definitely work. I have come across a more firm cream cheese buttercream recipe since then that would probably work even better though. Here it is:
225g butter, softened
375g icing sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150g cream cheese
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth, pale and fluffy. Continue to beat as you add the cream cheese, teaspoon by teaspoon, until fully incorporated.
You could adjust the amount of this buttercream to make as much as you need.
Hope that helps, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hello,
And greetings from Finland!
I’m inerested of doing this cake, but I have problem.. My fiance doesn’t like coconut. What would you say, how to replace the coconut from the recipe? Thank you for your help and all of your amazing work!
Hi Martta!
I think it would be very difficult to replace the coconut in this recipe as it acts quite differently to other flours, and it gives the cake a very distinctive flavour and texture. Instead, I would recommend making this cake instead – it has similar flavours of lemon and berries, but uses almond meal instead of coconut. https://www.thebrickkitchen.com/2016/07/lemon-almond-raspberry-layer-cake/
You could still decorate it in the same way as the coconut way if you wanted too!
Hope that helps, would love to know how it goes for you 🙂
This cake looks fantastic! I’m planning to make it this week, and am wondering what kind of desiccated coconut you use? I’m in the States so most are shredded, or there are finer grinds also. Do you use sweetened or unsweetened? I’m so excited!
Hi Brooke! I use fine desiccated coconut, but you could also use half/half fine and shredded for more texture. And unsweetened! Would love to hear how it goes for you 🙂
Thanks for the help, Claudia! I found the perfect thing and the cake turned out AMAZING! My husband said it was the best cake he ever had so I was very thrilled with that! ☺
So glad to hear that!! thanks for letting me know <3 <3
Hi! This cake is AMAZING! I want to make it, but without the marring (even though that looked really nice) But I was thinking to make a dripped cake. Do you think that will work, to frost the cake and then dripp the chocolate over?